


Ghost Boy Troubles

by ymyrgul



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Gay, M/M, Secret Crush, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:46:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27972566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ymyrgul/pseuds/ymyrgul
Summary: Nico di Angelo has a problem. He has a lot of complicated feelings, and doesn't feel like he can talk to anyone about them. At least, not anyone living. He resolves to confide his secrets to a ghost, and ask for relationship advice along the way.
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

Nico emptied the bag full of tacos onto the open grave. Usually the dead preferred McDonalds, but any food would suffice. As he finished pouring out a two litre bottle of mountain dew, a ghostly hand rose slowly from the ground. it clawed briefly, finding purchase on the ground, and began to pull itself up until a full ghostly torso was visible. If Nico had cast the incantation correctly, this should be the spirit he was looking for. After accidentally summoning the spirit of Queen Cleopatra, he didn't have the strength for any more summonings. As the spirit pulled himself fully up, his form shimmered, and his eyes wandered around the graveyard, seemingly unaware of Nico's presence. He was a scrawny man in a plain white _chiton_ , with a band holding back his short-cropped black hair. Nico knew he should not be intimidated by this man, but the idea of talking to him was somehow more terrifying than facing down an army of giants. _I must control my fear_ he thought, _I am the king of ghosts_. It didn't help much.

"Why have you called me?" The man's voice rang throughout the empty cemetary. It struck fear into Nico, but he didn't let it show.

"I seek the assistance of Patroclus Menoitiades. Is that you?"

The man studied Nico curiously. "It is I. But why ask for assistance from me? I never won any glory in battle, and I was not renowned for my cleverness."

Nico's stomach turned to ash. _I must push on. He is just a ghost. He has no power over me._ "It is true you won no glory. But if I read the tales correctly, you... you won a prize far greater than any that could be won through combat."

"And what would that be?" Nico noticed a hint of a smirk on his ghostly face.

"A-Aristos Achaion, I believe." What was wrong with him? The king of ghosts should not stutter.

The ghost stifled a laugh, then spoke. "Ah, Achilles. Well, yes, I suppose I did, though I know not how." Patroclus paused in contemplation for a second. "If you wish, I will assist you with such matters."

"You will." Nico tried to sound assertive, but his voice came out like an echo.

"Now tell me," the ghost leant towards Nico, "all about the one you've fallen for." Nico stared at Patroclus, trying to build up the courage to speak. He locked eyes with Patroclus, and all his courage drained from him. His eyes were rich and full of life, green as the sea. The same colour as Percy's. He felt his guard drop in an instant. Looking into those eyes released an avalanche of emotions; anger, shame and guilt swirling in his head. He noticed his control slipping, the magic that bound the ghost weakening, but too many conflicting thoughts stirred in his head to care. The spirit of Patroclus fled back into the underworld, as Nico could hold him no longer, and collapsed to the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

Nico waited a few weeks before daring to summon him again. It was easier this time, as if Patroclus' spirit remembered the way up to the mortal world. He appeared fully formed above the ground, in a plain cotton shirt and jeans, his eyes fixed on Nico.

"Ah, you again. Have you enough courage to speak more on your... issue?" His voice was calm and reassuring, but Nico saw the challenge in his words.

"I am not afraid."

"Oh, but of course you're afraid. And why wouldn't you be? Love is a very scary thing."

That word sent a shiver down Nico's spine, and he felt his heart beat faster. He willed it to slow down, but it would not obey. Patroclus seemed to notice Nico's discomfort, and spoke.

"My apologies, child. I should have been more careful." He tried to put a ghostly hand on Nico's shoulder, but Nico recoiled, despite knowing it could not touch him.

"I am a son of Hades. There is no need."

The ghost tilted his head slightly, studying Nico with a kind of curiousity. "Very well. If you can't talk about your love, perhaps I should talk about mine."

"I never said anything about love!"

"No, you didn't." They locked eyes for a moment. Nico had practised for this moment, and would not be beaten again. The ghost broke his stare, and moved to sit on a nearby rock, gesturing for Nico to join him. Nico stood firm, and gripped his hand on his sword.

"Now, the tale of Achilles, at least for me, begins when we were ten. I had, unfortunately, been exiled from my father's court. I came to the court of Peleus to foster, and there I saw him. He seemed to me to have been plucked straight from all the stories I had heard of heroes and gods, with golden hair and skin that seemed to glow with life." Nico wanted to interrupt, but he found himself strangely enthralled by the story. "I tried to stay away from him at first. After all, what business would a perfect prince have with a lowly exile such as I? But eventually, he approached me, and from that point onward we were inseparable. He even declared me his _Therapon_."

" _Therapon_?" Nico had not heard this word before. The ghost tilted his head slightly, trying to find a translation.

"Attendant. But, I think he was more so claiming me as a companion than a servant. I felt such joy when he said it, though I could not yet put a name to the feeling. That feeling, of course, was love. We grew closer still in the next few years, close enough to instill his mother's immortal wrath. Then, of course, the war happened." Patroclus stood to make clear that the story was over, but Nico was not satisfied.

"The Trojan war? What happened? You can't stop there!"

"Yes, I can. Besides, the story becomes tragic before too long. I doubt you could handle it." This struck a nerve inside Nico.

"You think I can't handle tragedy?"

"I think you cannot shoulder any more."

"You are a ghost! You do not know me!" Nico didn't know how he did it, but a wave of darkness radiated throughout the cemetery, and Patroclus' face contorted with pain. Then it shifted, to a look Nico could not quite name.

"I understand now." The ghost looked at Nico, sadness in his eyes. "You are a boy who has been through far too much. If you wish, I can help you with your _Percy_ situation." At the mention of Percy's name, Nico felt his heartbeat quicken, despite his objections.

"You don't know anything about my situation! And I don't need your help!"

  
"Then why summon me?" Nico had no answer. His pulse slowed, but his thoughts kept racing. He didn't want to admit it, but he _did_ need help. But this ghost who had shamed him, who had seen his best kept secret against his will, he had no right to help. Nico turned, and faded into the shadows of the cemetery, leaving the ghost far behind. His emotions, however, were not so easily abandoned.


End file.
